Shanghai, China: Silport welcomed a very special guest when Brad Little, the lead actor in the “Phantom of the Opera” touring production, stopped by for a round of golf.
The California native, a veteran of more than 1,800 Phantom performances, said he played golf wherever he traveled. However, his round at Silport was the first time he had ever played outside of the United States.

“I was wanting to come out for a game ever since I arrived in Shanghai but it has been far too cold for golf. It is a thrill to be playing golf in China and I really enjoyed experiencing Silport for myself,” Little said.

The New York-based actor said he started playing golf with his grandfather as a child.

“And he stopped me from playing too because of my temper,” said the now-relaxed Little. “It wasn’t until I started doing the Phantom that I really picked up again and it something I really enjoy.

“I am fortunate in that I get invited to play golf wherever I travel. I have played Cyprus Point and that was amazing. I have also played the Colonial, Ben Hogan’s old course in Fort Worth, Texas, as well as Pinehurst #4 course. But I will play anywhere, public courses. I sometimes play three times a week when we are in the states.

“I also played TPC at Sawgrass in Jacksonville, Florida, a week before The Players Championship. The grass was really long and I have never lost so many balls. But I parred the (island hole) 17th – I hit the pylons, bounced on the green and then two-putted. You always have a gallery there as people come to picnic every day and just watch the players.”

Little said one of his biggest thrills in golf came last year when he acted as the MC at a function for the Champions Tour in Hawaii.

“I got to introduce Arnold Palmer to the stage and then we brought up Jack Nicklaus, so it was a really amazing night,’’ he said. “Tom Kite came up to me afterwards and told me that he seen the Phantom several times and he was a fan of mine. So that was a big thrill. I was surprised he even knew who I was.”

Little called the Phantom’s run in Shanghai a huge success. The 100 shows played to a healthy 98 percent capacity at the 1,600-seat Grand Theater. The production now takes a 10-week break before resurfacing in Seoul in June and Taipei in the new year.

“The great thing about performing the Phantom of the Opera, a show that has been around for 18 years, is playing to people who have never seen the show before. Find a place in the world where that has happened. I am so used to playing to audiences where maybe three to five percent of the people have never seen the show.

When something like this happens, it is a lot of fun to see how the audience reacts.

“Now I am going home to New York to lead a normal life for a while and then it is back to Korea. I know the South Koreans are really passionate about golf, so I am taking my clubs with me. I have heard a lot of good things about Jeju Island so I am going to try and get down there while I am there.”